Horns and Hoodies
by blackwolfwrites
Summary: Life for Marco Diaz hasn't been the same ever since he accidentally gained demon powers. Follow Marco and Star on various misadventures as they take on Mewni and the forces of demon magic. For Inktober 2018.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, one and all! I'm doing cute, little oneshots for Inktober! They'll be released every other day-ish (starting with Day 3) and it's more a collection of stories than a chronological, full-on epic like my other story, _The Dance of the Stars._ **

**Also, I dedicate this entire collection to my dear friend, StarryEyedButterfly. She is just an awesome, amazing person (and she drew the cover image!) who helped with the conception of this AU. She also has stories on , so give them a read if you can.**

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Day 3: Roasted

"No, Star! You can't make me!" Marco hissed like a feral cat when his girlfriend tried to pull him towards the object of his deepest fears. There was nothing in all of Mewni, Earth, and Hekapoo's dimension that struck more terror in the boy's heart than mirrors. It seemed like a stupid thing to be afraid of. They couldn't kill or move or bite, but they didn't need to in order to wound their hapless victims. The cruel, cold slabs stared into a man's soul and reflected his insecurities for all to see. In the boy's case, the insecurities involved a whole lot more fangs and horns than they usually did.

"Stop being silly, boo," Star tugged on the reluctant, claw-nailed hands that hid his face. "I love the way you look all the time, especially when it's your 'time of the month.'"

"It's not PMS, Star," his tail lashed in mild irritation. Referring to _it_ as something so trivial made him flush hot for some reason. "It's my demon form."

"Same thing. Now, c'mon, Diaz," determined, Star managed to finally pry his hands away with her super Mewman strength. "Khaki Denim! Seize the day!"

"It's Carpe Diem," he corrected her and watched Star roll her beautiful sky-blue eyes. Oh, how he loved staring into those deep, expressive orbs which always seemed to spark when she saw him. They were the perfect shade of blue too: more vivid than the pale eyes of her father, and warmer than the icy ones of Queen Moon.

She noticed him gazing at her and blushed, setting her pink heart cheekmarks blazing with a ruby glow. "You're not supposed to be looking at me," Star forcible moved his head so he _had_ to face the mirror. "You claimed you've never seen yourself in your demon form. I'm fixing that today."

 _Whoa…_ his cat-slit pupils dilated when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. _So, this is what I look like?_ Before him, a strange creature gawked back at him—one both familiar and unfamiliar. The image bore the same tannish skin, chocolate brown hair, and trademark red hoodie that came to represent Marco Ubaldo Diaz. Even the little mole, which Star claimed was adorable, graced his cheek. Yet, it was undeniable that the taint of demon magic had changed him too.

Two black goat horns erupted from his dark brown hair and swept backward in a graceful curve. Pointed ears jutted out of the side of his head, making him look like a weirdo elf hero from video games-minus the green tights. Minute, white fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth, even when closed, giving him an odd-shaped smile. To pull the whole demon look together, black, heavy dragon wings drooped from his shoulder blades and a thin, red tail wiggled like a worm in perpetual motion. It was topped by a crescent at the tip. In all, he didn't look too bad.

"See, Marco," Star giggled as she watched Marco study his body. "There's nothing to fear about mirrors. You look pretty hot like that."

Marco's amber eyes moved off of his reflection and his cheeks flushed, betraying the two pale moons that usually stayed hidden. "Me? Hot?" His voice squeaked. She had to be joking. _Hot_ was for male models and swimmers—not for snaggle-toothed demon boys like Marco Diaz.

Taking his hands, Star stood on her tippy toes and gave him a swift peck on the lips, laughing when steam rolled off of his body. It tended to happen whenever she kissed him, caused by sweat rolling down his physically hot demon body. Apparently, Star _really_ liked the smell; she described it as a mix of musk and burnt toast.

"You're so _adorable_ , Marco," she smiled against his lips before pulling away. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Tom told me I looked like a mutt," the boy muttered.

Star raised an eyebrow at the mention of her ex's name. They had had a rocky relationship which ended in a rather explosive breakup before she came to Earth. Now that she was back on Mewni and had a new boyfriend, she and Tom tried to make amends for the sake of being royals. So far, things had been decent between them, when her ex-boyfriend wasn't being snooty towards Marco's newfound powers.

She sighed and shook her head, "Don't take that from him, Marco. Besides, you wanna know a secret? Your tail is _way_ longer than his."

"Really?" Marco snickered. A demon's tail is a symbol of his pride, meant to dangle low and wave freely like a banner in the wind. For a someone to accuse a demon of being short-tailed was like insulting one's manhood: very wrong and dangerous.

Star nodded, "Yep. That's why he keeps it hidden. Go tell him that; teach Tom his place."

 _I shouldn't roast the guy I'm trying to become friends with_ , the rational part of Marco's brain said. But no, he _couldn't_ pass up on the opportunity….

In the Underworld, Tom Lucitor was busy sitting on his beanbag and playing video games when Marco opened a portal to pay him a little visit. _My tail is longer than his_ , he suppressed a purr in his chest. He was better than a full-blooded demon! Ha! Just thinking about it made his long demon appendage curl upwards against his back in a tight bun.

Tom's third eyes wandered off his game and at the interloper in his room, "What do you want, Diaz?"

A smug grin crept on Marco's face as he stalked closer. "Hey, Lucitor," he couldn't help but taunt a bit. "Remember how you called me a 'lowly, snaggle-toothed mutt' the other day?"

"What about it? It's true. You're too _soft_ to be a demon like me," Tom sneered as he paused the game. "I mean look at you! There's nothing on your body that's even _remotely_ scary."

 _Oh, that's what you think,_ Marco curled his lip, flashing his fangs, "You know…Star said my tail is longer than yours."

"She… _what?!_ " Tom gasped. "That's impossible! I'm a Lucitor prince! My tail is the longest and thickest there is." Fire formed in his hands as he lurked closer to Marco.

"Guess again, Tom. Star loves my tail, and says she's never seen a demon with one as amazing as mine." Now, came the part where Marco embellished a little to really stick it to the other demon. "She loves what I can do with it…like, uh…when I hang from tree branches. Or how I can grab stuff with it."

Suddenly, Tom went from being on the verge of roasting him to a crisp to laughing. In fact, he even slumped on his beanbag and laughed so hard he began to cry. "Marco, my man!" He hollered, holding his belly. "Is that _all_ you think a tail is for?"

"Yeah?" He answered puzzled. "I mean what else is it for…?"

The prince got up and slung an arm around Marco's shoulder. "Dude," he sat his friendenemy down. "Let me tell you about the joys of Demon Mewberty, which you'll probably experience at some point…."

"Demon Mewberty?"

"How'd it go?" Star asked when Marco stepped out his portal and into her room. "Did you roast Tom? Did you get him good?"

Marco's eyes twitched and he silently went to his room. The roasting had been mutual. _I'll one-up him next time_ , he vowed to the red demon moon leering at him through the windows of the castle. But first…he had a lot to think about.


	2. Chapter 2

Day 4: Spell

Demon moons were an odd phenomenon on Mewni. The mystical heavenly body wasn't the same as the Blood Moon-which showed up only once every 667 years-but was rather a lesser moon that rose from seemingly nowhere and bathed the night sky in sickly light at least one week a month. Sometimes it appeared several times, depending on how long or short Mewni's odd months were.

As a result, the supernatural moon inspired many old wives' tales about its origins and purpose. Some said the moon rose from the Underworld itself, opening a portal to allow hungry demons to prowl around and kidnap naughty children to eat. Others said it had the power to change Mewmans into savage monsters. Still, some said the moon was a harbinger of anything from a plentiful corn harvest to defeat in warfare.

Naturally, Marco Diaz didn't believe in the old legends when he first came to Mewni, no matter how convinced the citizens of the kingdom were of their beliefs. Mewmans tended to be a superstitious bunch. They spent gobs of money on charms to ward off evil, believed talking calzones could predict how one would die, and practiced ritualistic blood sacrifices to appease an evil Stump god. In fact, just the other day, Star confessed no one ever celebrated her birthday on the actual day because of the tree deity. Being a good boyfriend, Marco tried not to laugh at how terrified Star was over a dead tree. It seemed ridiculous!

However, it was during the silent nights when the red moon's light filtered through Marco's window that the tales of demons and monsters clung in the back of his mind. Perhaps feeling heavy horns weigh on his head and his tail thrash under the covers helped make the stories real. Now, he knew better. The legend of the demon moon wasn't just old wives tales.

It was two in the morning and Marco was wide awake, his soul buzzing with a strange energy that forbade him from getting rest. He tried everything in his power to relax—drinking hot tea, practicing Tai Chi, reading a few books—but nothing worked. Groaning, he shoved his pillow over his face and tried to block out the taunting glare of the demon moon. _This is your life now, Marco Diaz_ , it seemed to snarl. _Rise up and walk the night!_

 _No!_ Marco's tail twitched beside him. Responsible young squires went to bed on time and woke up bright and early! Staying out all night was bad for physical and mental health. He might be part-demon now, but he wasn't going to jeopardize his wellbeing to satisfy base urges.

Either from the lack of fresh oxygen or he eventual tiredness, Marco felt his eyelids droop as the black of Dreamland crept across his vision. _Sleep…_ he purred to soothe himself, the rumbling forming a gentle lullaby.

That is until the door of his bedroom slammed open. He flung himself out of bed and landed in a crouch on all fours with his tail high and back arched. An intruder! But he relaxed when he saw that it was only Star. Purply-pink light from her wand illuminated the room and her face, which was full of energy and spirit despite it being so late in the night.

"Can you knock next time, Star?" Marco eased out of his crouch, feeling embarrassed. "I'm kinda not decent…" One of the many downsides to having a demon form was constantly being hot. Naturally, sleeping under covers made things worse, which meant his usual flannel pajamas were out of the question. During demon moons, Marco slept only in his boxers, and he wasn't ready for his girlfriend to see this much of him yet. He was still working on the abs.

"Oh…" Star's cheekmarks lit up a deep, lusty red and she chewed on her wand. This went on for several long moments.

Marco cleared his throat, "Star…everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" She got herself back on track. "Guess what time it is?"

"Time to sleep."

"Wrong, Diaz," she waved her wand and covered his body in his clothes. "We're going to practice spell casting! You promised we would the next demon moon, and here we are!"

He wanted to tell her no, but how could he reject the energetic gleam in her eyes and the wide smile on her face? It was impossible! Resigning himself to another sleepless night, Marco sighed and stood up, "Fine. We'll do some training."

The second he finished speaking, his girlfriend eagerly grabbed his hand and yanked the poor demon out of his room. On the bright side, spending time with Star was always something to look forward to, and he couldn't wait to see what he could really do with his demon powers. Reading books and talking to Tom could only do so much.

Outside, in one of the castle's courtyards, the two teens stood under a beautiful night sky studded by a million colorful stars and lit up by multiple moons, including the ominous red one. _Wow…_ the sight took his breath away. He never saw a sky like this back in Echo Creek. But, of course, the most beautiful star of all stood right beside him. His bright and shining Star…. His bright and shining Star who yelled, "NARWHAL BLAST!" at the top of her lungs and sent horrified, horned, blubbery sea mammals careening towards his face.

 _Crap!_ Marco just barely managed to dodge the attack, rolling out of the way and onto his feet to face his opponent. Right. He remembered Star showed no mercy in combat, and he had to purge his mind of warm feelings during training. So far, he had perfected basic fire magic, which Tom said was something babies learned before they could walk. At the same time, he didn't want to _actually_ hurt Star in a training exercise with random experimentation.

Suddenly, a rainbow fist smacked him upside the head and sent him into a bush along the edge of the field. Star's laughter fixed the air and her eyes blazed like bright comets against the backdrop of the night sky. She stood over Marco, cracking her knuckles and gripping the shaft of her wand with confidence, "Eyes on the prize, Diaz!"

She took a pace forward and summoned another Narwhal Blast, but Marco was ready this time. He made a fiery shield and raised it up to block before chucking a surprise fireball at Star with his right hand. It singed part of her hair as she evaded, but the princess wasn't afraid. In fact, the brush with danger made her more determined to beat him.

"I guess you need to keep _your_ eyes on the prize, Butterfly!" Marco teased. "I'm just getting warmed up!" And literally too. He could feel his magic reserves filling to the brim with crackling and sizzling fire as he became more and more energized by the demon moon.

He curled his lip in a cocky grin as he flicked a red fireball after fireball in an endless torrent that lit up the night in mini explosions. However, Star dodged each one and answered his fire with magical blasts of her own. When the two of them fought, it was like dancing. Full of fury and passion with each anticipating the other's moves like if they were their own. It was personal—almost intimate—because nothing was better than gloating over being better.

After many moments of intense magical dogfighting, Marco had to take a breather. Stamina was something he was still working towards. Meanwhile, Star was rearing to go, "I wanna see you hit me with your best spell, Marco."

The demon geared up for part two of the training session and met her challenge with one of his, "Then gimme yours, Star! You're going easy on me."

An evil grin formed on her face as she twirled her wand in her hand. _Uh oh,_ he knew exactly what her weird magic,anime-girl dance meant. Warnicorn Stampede. He had to think of something and stat! Spell creation was Star's specialty; she had a bizarre knack at spewing random words and having it turn into spells that worked. Or didn't. Perhaps, Marco had to dig deep and do the same. What could counter giant war unicorns? _How about even more warhorses?_ Marco's mind lit up. It sounded _totally_ unoriginal, but it could work. Also, it better because Star was about to unleash her wrath. Now, how to summon what he wanted….

He pounded the ground, feeling the legions of the Underworld waiting to unleash his will upon them. "Ultimate Skeleton Army Stampede!" The phrase clunkily rolled off of his tongue, but the ground rumbled in obedience, releasing an army of flaming deadhorses. The warnicorns collided with the skeleton beasts and the spells offset, blasting their wielders far apart in a bright red blast.

When Marco came to, he was dangling from a tree branch high above the ground, gazing down at a totally destroyed field. All of the grass had been burned away and flowers killed. _Oops,_ he chuckled. Good thing they didn't practice in the Rose Garden or Eclipsa would have killed them.

"That was AWESOME!" Star cheered as she rose off the scorched ground. "You did it, Marco! You cast a _real_ spell! Uh…Marco? Where are you?"

"Up here!" He called to her from his perch. The vibrations caused the branch to snap, sending the screaming Marco Diaz into his girlfriend's waiting arms. She held him bridal style and stroked his hair until he started purring gently.

"So cute," she kissed his forehead, making the purring even louder. "Anything else you want to do tonight?"

"Sleep," he yawned. Maybe this was what he needed—a good three-in-the-morning fighting session.

"I'll join you," Star carried him to his room.

"Like in m-my room?!"

"Duh, it's called a sleepover," she said matter-of-factly when they reached his room. "Plus, it's Relationship Thursday, why not get an early start?" Before he could argue implications of having a girl spend a night with him, Star had curled up next to him and fallen asleep with her head on his chest. _I guess magic isn't the only spell she has on me_ , he smiled and held her close as he fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this is a bit late, but here's day 5. We're gonna catch up and get back on track.**

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Day 5: Chicken

"What are you, Marco? Chicken?" Janna cackled as she swirled an unlabeled, plastic water bottle full of a thick, red liquid. To the untrained eye, the contents looked like badly stirred Kool-Aid—the kind Star makes because she adds way too much mix to the water. Yet, according to Janna, the glimmering liquid was actually hundred-percent, pure demon's blood. How she was able to get the bodily fluids of a magical creature in a water bottle, Marco did not want to know.

"Hard pass," he held up a hand as he leaned against a concrete wall.

"But it'll give you cool demon powers," she tried hard to convince him. "There's a full moon tonight and a demon moon in the Underworld. It's _extremely_ rare for them to happen at the same time, and legend says if you drink demon's blood on a night like this, you'll get powers."

"So," Marco shrugged with indifference. He was already having a crappy night surrounded by awkward teenagers and dizzying strobe lights. After being begged over and over by Alfonzo and Ferguson to visit Earth because life was _so_ boring without him, Marco decided to put an appearance at Echo Creek Academy's homecoming. It was going as well as one expected. High school was already a weird wasteland of hormones and homework, so returning for a day after being away on Mewni reminded Marco he wasn't missing out. The students were still largely the same, his friends were still largely the same, the football team still stunk. It was like life was set on standstill and the only things in motion were him and Star.

 _In more ways than one_ , he smiled thinking about his new girlfriend. If only she were here right now and not busy with princess stuff. They could have danced and maybe spiced up the lame party in the school's gymnasium with a bit of magic. However, he figured the _real_ reason why she declined the invitation was that she didn't want to be around Jackie after what happened at the end-of-the-year party confession. Yeah...that was awkward.

Across the way, the chill blonde was busy chatting with a couple of the popular guys by the punch bowl. It was good to see her moving on after she and Marco broke up, so he could move in with Star. _She likely knows Star and I are together_ , he mused.

Janna followed his gaze and shook her head, "Your loss, Diaz. I'm sure Star would love a cute, demon boyfriend."

"She's had enough of them," Marco said a bit too hastily, causing Janna to raise an eyebrow. He just wasn't in the mood to think about her ex-boyfriend, Tom Lucitor. The Prince of the Underworld was around more since he and Star were both royals, and the tension between the two wasn't fun.

Marco's former classmate shrugged before walking away, "Suit yourself."

Alone again, Marco observed the homecoming dance and sighed. He would much rather be on Mewni cuddling with Star and helping her unwind after a long day of princess duties. That was his job as both her personal squire and boyfriend. _Maybe I should sneak out_ , Marco let his hand graze the handle of his dimensional scissors in his pocket. They seemed to be calling him. _Let me at least say 'hi' to Jackie_ , he decided because avoiding her was kinda rude. Sure, it would be awkward, but he needed to be nice.

Taking in a deep breath for courage, Marco strode across the dancefloor, squeezing between dancing couples and chatting friends. What was he going to say to his ex-girlfriend? "Hey, how's your life been since you dumped me for being hung up on Star and abandoning you for most of the summer?" Nah. "I hope you're doing fine, how's life?" Maybe. _Ugh, I haven't gotten any better at speaking to her after all of this time!_ Why was interacting with Jackie-Lynn Thomas still such a huge deal? When Marco asked Star out on a date, he did it with no problem. Talking to her was more natural in many ways. They were best friends who knew each other after taking the time to develop a strong bond between them. Marco and Jackie didn't even talk to each other before Star pushed them together. _Man, this relationship was a bad idea_.

The closer he got to Jackie, the drier his mouth became, and he needed a drink. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he snuck to another snack table and picked up a random water bottle, chugging the entire drink down in one sitting. _Hmm,_ he chapped his lips. This was the strangest water he had ever had. It was thick and sticky on the way down with a faint hint of…cherry? Raspberry? Some kind of berry. Maybe the eager homecoming club decided to buy flavored water.

Now refreshed, the moment of truth came, and Marco let out a deep breath. Here goes nothing. In his head, he rehearsed a few different greetings and friendly phrases to get a conversation going as he closed the gap between them. Jackie looked up from her company and made a face that was at first difficult for Marco to fully read. She seemed surprised to see him and a little sad—which was what he expected.

He cleared his voice, and said in a curt voice, "Hello, Jackie."

She replied in kind, "Hi, Marco." Silence fell between them. _Great job, Diaz_ , he could just kick himself. _Say something to her._

Marco was about to speak when a shaft of silvery moonlight fell on his shoulders from the windows. For some reason, it made his body feel _really_ hot. Unbearably so. Maybe it was the suit jacket. He shrugged it off but found that his back itched like crazy. _Oh no,_ he groaned. He was likely having a reaction to his back sweat. Then the itching didn't go away, in fact, it became painful, causing him to writhe on the ground in agony.

As he hollered and cried, the music stopped, and all of the teens and chaperones gawked, screaming in horror. _Why aren't they helping me?_ Marco clutched his head which felt like hammers were pounding nails into his skull. Why were they pointing and yelling at him? By the time Marco came to again, he rose to his feet, his body feeling heavy like lead.

"Wha…?" He stared at the long, fingernail-like claws on his hands. Black wings pulled on the muscles in his shoulder and a long, slender red tail twitched alongside his leg. _No…nononono!_ That wasn't cherry flavored water…Marco stumbled into a table, spilling punch and snacks all over the ground. The bowl caught on his horns and spun around spraying droplets everywhere. _I gotta get outta here!_

He sliced open a portal to Mewni, hearing Janna as he left, "You'll thank me later, Diaz!"

Back in his room, Marco was a whimpering, shivering mess. His shirt had been torn to ribbons and he was scared. What did the demon's blood do to him? Was it permanent? In his panicked haze, Marco remembered Janna talking about a demon moon and he turned to see the red celestial body glare at him—mocking him. _Welcome, demon boy_ , it seemed to glower.

He slit a couple of holes in the back of his hoodie to make room for his wings and zipped it up. It hid most of his body, and it gave him the allusion of normalcy. _But what will Star think?_ Unfortunately for him, he could hear her cheerful humming as she approached his room.

"Star!" His fangs made him lisp her name, "Don't come in here!"

But, the cheery blonde didn't hear him and burst through the door, "Heya Marco! Wait a minute—"

In the darkness, Marco could see her blue eyes glow, lit up by her charging wand. "What are you doing here, _Tom?_ " She barked, taking a big step forward. As her eyes adjusted more and more to the half-light, the angrier she became. "You're not, Tom..."

Before Marco could reply, a Narwhal Blast knocked him over, pinning him to the ground. When he shoved the heavy, magical whale off of his body, he was met by a green glowing wand just mere inches from his face. _Wow…_ seeing the fierceness in her eyes and the determination to kick his butt took his breath away. However, he forced himself to focus on calming her down—he watched her kill Toffee before his eyes.

"Star," he put on his "woobie" eyes, "It's just me."

"How do you know my name?" She raised an eyebrow.

"It's me, Marco," he got up and hugged her.

"Marco? What happened to your cute body…?"

He froze and pulled away, feeling ashamed of his appearance. What if Star stopped liking him because of his demon body? Although he didn't see his reflection—he _never_ wanted to—Marco knew he had to look like an ugly gargoyle with fangs, wings, horns, and a tail.

Star pulled him in close, so she could hold him and cup his cheek, "You look even cuter."

"What?!" Marco stammered, blushing.

"Oh, Marco. You're such a cute idiot no matter what you look like." Star smiled and reached up to lock lips with him. He held her closer, melting in her sweet embrace as he deepened the kiss. The combined glow of their cheekmarks lit up the room in a soft glow. "Mmm, Marco?" Star paused for a second.

"Yes, Star?" He shot her a silly grin.

"Can you watch the fangs?"

"Sorry…"


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm actually on track today. Yay! Also, for those of you wondering about Ch 13 of my main fic, _The Dance of the Stars_ , that's coming out later this week. Had a lot going on lately, so sorry about the delay. **

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Day 15: Weak

"Star!" Marco cried out her name as Toffee crumbled the rest of the wand shard in his scaly hand, letting the bits tumble to the ground like dust. _No!_ Marco's mind wailed, _Nononono!_ She was still in there! She had to come home! Star had become trapped in the wand after using the Whispering Spell on Ludo, but now she would never be able to return. In an instant, the light of Marco's life was gone. Forever. Her smile, her laughter, her sing-song voice, her hugs…. Gone.

She had left him before—right after revealing her crush on him in front of their friends on Earth a few days ago. It was embarrassing and awkward, and Marco could just kick himself for clamming up when his best friend needed to hear from him the most. But, he went after her—hence why he was on Mewni in the middle of a war with Ludo and Toffee. No matter the danger, he was determined to find Star and confess how _he_ felt. About how he always sorta knew her feelings towards him, and that he felt the same.

Now, he was too little, too late. Star was taken from him before he could ever tell her how much he liked her. In his chest, Marco's heart was rent in two and the world spun around. Moon tried to strike back with her fists first then the powerless wand, but it was in vain. Toffee dealt with her like a minor inconvenience—the grief in her eyes garnering no sympathy nor remorse.

The villain grabbed her wrist, nearly snapping it to hold her back. "Are you finished?" He asked callously with a smidge of gloat in his voice.

Then, it happened. Instinct overrode every other impulse in Marco's body, and he somehow managed to land a perfectly placed punch _through_ Toffee's chest where a heart should be. Even Moon was stunned. Marco would have marveled at his own strength if he wasn't busy sobbing. _Give. Her. Back!_ His mind bellowed like a raging bull. _Give me back_ my _Star!_

Next thing he knew, a rock wall collided with his spine, knocking the wind out of his body. The world went black for a moment, and he tasted metallic blood in his mouth.

"Weak human," Toffee scoffed. "You think you can take on me? Look what happened to your precious _girlfriend_ —she's gone."

" **I'm not a human!** " Marco spat in a voice not his own as he rose defiantly to his feet. Instead of his wimpy, just-past-puberty voice, he spoke with the sound of a thousand hurricanes and the intensity of ten thousand suns. " **I'm bringing you down!** "

When he took a step forward, Marco assumed his demon form and the day turned to night in an instant. A full demon moon cast a hellish glow around him like an evil halo, and he became drunk on his powers. He was going to make Toffee pay because he had nothing to lose. Should Marco die, he would see Star again...

Toffee sighed and raised an eyebrow, "Impressive, but you're still not going to beat me. Star couldn't, and she was a Butterfly."

" **Well, guess what?** " Marco snarled as he sent a fiery punch into Toffee's side, watching the lizardman fly into the ruins of another castle spire. " **I'm going to win because I love her!"**

Love. What an amazingly powerful word. It was something Marco never felt before in his entire life until just now. He _liked_ Jackie for sure, but there was nothing about his real girlfriend that would ever spur him into such grief and frenzy. However, he never knew he felt so strongly about Star. Sure, she was cute and amazing to be around, but that was beside the fact now. His mind thought about how he always wanted to stay by her side, and how he wanted to hold her each night before falling asleep. About how he would love to marry her and father her children, living out the rest of his days going on adventures until they passed into the afterlife together. _That_ was love. That was the future stolen from Marco, and now he was ready to fight until his last drop of blood.

Demon Marco hissed as he launched himself at Toffee, spitting and snarling like a deranged, feral beast. The two were locked in a death-match, throwing their all into punches and other physical attacks. Marco used his claws to tear out a section of the lizard's arm, then went for the jugular. While both attacks were successful, Toffee shrugged, and the injuries mended. "Have you learned nothing? You can't hurt me."

With a slap of his tail, Toffee sent Marco into a crumbling stone wall. "Marco!" He heard Buff Frog and Moon call his name too late as the entire structure gave way. _I'll be with you soon, Star…_ he shut his eyes and accepted the coming of death….

* * *

"Marco!"

With a scream he jolted awake, his heart racing a thousand miles an hour, threatening to burst from his chest. _Where am I? Where's Star?_ His head whipped around in panic. Where was Toffee or the wall raining down on him? Was he dead? The fog rose off of his mind, and Marco discovered that he was back in his room on his bed. Most importantly, Star was by his side, holding his hand.

"Marco?" Her voice quivered full of concern and fear. "Are you okay? I heard all of this screaming and crying…"

 _Oh,_ Marco pieced it together. He was having another Toffee dream—they happened every so often. Despite that day being long over, seeing Star die in front of him haunted the boy like an evil ghost. He _never_ wanted to see her hurt again, and having strong demon powers now as opposed to then made him feel better about the odds. He was going to protect her no matter what. Marco wasn't weak anymore.

"I'm okay," he panted. "Just had a _really_ bad dream." He was going to leave it at that and tell her to go back to sleep—proper rest was important—but the dream tugged on his subconscious mind. He didn't want to be alone right now.

"Hey, Star," he took her hand. "C-can you stay with me for tonight?"

His girlfriend smiled and motioned for Marco to make room on his bed so they could snuggle. They wrapped their arms around each other and Star tucked her head under his chin. "Star…" he whispered her name tenderly, tilting her chin up for a kiss. "Star, I love you. More than anything. I don't think I say it enough."

"I love you too, Marco," she kissed him back. "You're my lifeline."

"Mine too," Marco brought her in as close as he possibly could, letting her touch and scent calm his fearful mind. She was here with him, in his arms. All was right with the world. The red light of the moon swept over the lovers as they slumbered, but it wasn't a demon moon. It was the Blood Moon sending a warning.


End file.
